Isaiah 7:18 NIV

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Isaiah 7:18-19

Isaiah 7:18-19. In that day Known to God, and appointed by him for the execution of these judgments; the Lord shall hiss for the fly The flies, rather. Thus he calls these enemies, to signify either their great number, or their speedy march: see on Isaiah 5:26. As the word hiss carries with it a low idea, and does not properly express the meaning of the original word שׁרק , sherek, which properly signifies, sibilando advocare, to call by whistling, it seems desirable that it... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Isaiah 7:1-25

7:1-12:6 JUDAH IN THE REIGN OF AHAZChapters 7-12 belong to the reign of Ahaz, when Pekah the king of Israel and Rezin the king of Syria (Aram) joined forces to attack Ahaz, with the aim of forcing Judah into their anti-Assyrian alliance. Before reading these chapters, readers should be familiar with the historical background given in the introduction under the heading ‘Israel and Syria attack Judah’.Isaiah’s message for Ahaz (7:1-25)When the Judean king Ahaz hears of the approach of the... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Isaiah 7:18

rivers of Egypt. Reference to Pentateuch. Hebrew. ye'or . Twenty-nine times in. Genesis and Exodus (only twice in plural. Exodus 7:19 ; Exodus 8:5 ). read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Isaiah 7:18

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that Jehovah will hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. And they shall come, and rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the clefts of the rocks, and upon all thorn-hedges, and upon all pastures."This is a prophecy of the evil that shall befall Judah at the hands of foreign invaders; and like the prophecy of Immanuel a moment earlier, this is not designed to... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Isaiah 7:18

Isaiah 7:18. The Lord shall hiss for the fly, &c.— See the note on chap. Isaiah 5:26. It is not very strange, that languages should abound with figures and metaphors, or that prophesies should contain parables and apt similitudes. What man, who knows any thing of language or letters, would expect otherwise? However, considering that the word hiss is apt to carry with it a low idea, one might with that our translators had chosen a less offensive word, which might but tolerably have expressed... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 7:18

18. hiss—whistle, to bring bees to settle (see on Isaiah 5:26). fly—found in numbers about the arms of the Nile and the canals from it (Isaiah 19:5-7; Isaiah 23:3), here called "rivers." Hence arose the plague of flies (Isaiah 23:3- :). Figurative, for numerous and troublesome foes from the remotest parts of Egypt, for example, Pharaoh-nechoh. bee— (Deuteronomy 1:44; Psalms 118:12). As numerous in Assyria as the fly in marshy Egypt. Sennacherib, Esar-haddon, and Nebuchadnezzar fulfilled this... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Isaiah 7:18-19

Yahweh would summon the armies of Assyria and Egypt to do His bidding as one whistles (or hisses) at insects (cf. Isaiah 5:26). The ancients could evidently control flies and bees by hissing at them. [Note: See Young, 1:296, for sources indicating this in Aeschylus’ writings.] Egypt was a land filled with flies, and the ancients spoke of Assyria as a country of beekeeping. [Note: Ibid.] Enemy soldiers would swarm everywhere in Judah (cf. Judges 6:1-6). read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Isaiah 7:18-25

The threat of Assyria 7:18-25This section explains how the coming days would be the worst since the division of the kingdom (Isaiah 7:17). Assyria was not just a powerful and brutal enemy, but it would be a tool in Yahweh’s hand that He would use to discipline Judah. read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 7:1-25

1-16. Isaiah assures Ahaz by a sign that Judah will be delivered from Syria and Israel.1. See prefatory note to the section.2. Ephraim] the popular name for the northern kingdom (Isaiah 9:8-9). His heart was moved] i.e. the heart of king Ahaz, because of the formidable confederacy against him. Serious reverses suffered by Judah at this time are recorded in 2 Chronicles 28:5-15.3. Shear-jashub] i.e. ’a remnant shall return.’ Already in the reign of Ahaz the prophet had summed up the... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Isaiah 7:18

(18) The Lord shall hiss for the fly . . .—See for the phrase the Note on Isaiah 5:26. The legions of Egypt are represented by the flies that swarmed on the banks of the Nile (Exodus 8:24, and possibly Isaiah 18:1), those of Assyria by the bees of their forests and their hills (Deuteronomy 1:44; Psalms 118:12). The mention of Egypt indicates that some of the king’s counsellors were then, as afterwards (Isaiah 18:2; Isaiah 31:1), planning an Egyptian alliance, as others were relying on that with... read more